New Delhi, Friday 04 June 2010: Union Minister Ambika Soni was re-nominated on Friday by Congress from Punjab and AICC general secretary Mohsina Kidwai from Chhattisgarh for the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha.

Four other candidates re-nominated included Vijay Darda from Maharashtra, Dheeraj Prasad Sahu from Jharkhand and E.M.S. Natchiappan from Tamil Nadu, an AICC statement said.

AICC secretary Avinash Pandey, who had unsuccessfully fought the Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra about two years back against industrialist Rahul Bajaj, is the second candidate from Maharashtra.

At that time, NCP, Shiv Sena and BJP backed Bajaj, who contested as an independent candidate. On Wednesday, the party had announced the re-nomination of Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and other three sitting Rajya Sabha MPs — J.D. Seelam, V. Hanumantha Rao and Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy — from Andhra Pradesh.

Elections are being held for 55 Upper House seats. While voting for 49 seats from 12 States will take place on June 17, polling for six seats from Andhra Pradesh will be held on June 14.